Unease on the Homefront
by Gemini14
Summary: In the aftermath of the battle against Shishio, the wounds gained in the battle are just being tended. What happens when Kenshin's stubborn teacher finds himself in need of aid? Complete!
1. Chapter One

Unease on the Homefront

Chapter One

He was propped up against the wall, with his legs folded Indian-style before him. His arms were loosely crossed; his right hand steadying his sheathed sword against his muscular, white-mantled shoulder, while the whole left arm was draped across his lap. Even though the confidence of the swordmaster was there, Kaoru could tell that something, she wasn't sure what, was amiss. There were dark shadows under Hiko's eyes that hadn't been there before, and a slight sheen of sweat shone on his brow. She remembered very clearly that, despite her worry for Kenshin that evening, concern for the man who had taught the hitokiri-turned-rurouni had begun to take root as well. Early in the afternoon of the day he'd defeated Fuji, he'd been standing. By the time Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Aoshi had returned, he was sitting down; looking much the same way he did now.

"_What is he hiding from us that he's too proud to tell us about? Has he been injured in some way as well?_" Kaoru wondered, as she watched the man sleep from her position beside Yahiko's futon. She jumped when he tiredly addressed her.

"Are you going to sit there and stare at me all night, Kamiya?" Hiko asked, quietly, as he opened his dark eyes slightly and gave her an annoyed glance. Kaoru shook her head.

"No. I was merely wondering why you haven't already left. I seem to recall that you're usually very solitary." Kaoru said, noticing when the man gave her a chagrined look.

"Don't remind me. With all the squalling your baka deshi was raising around here, I'm surprised my Baka Deshi didn't wake up and make that ridiculous 'Oro' statement of his." Hiko muttered, smirking when Kaoru rolled her eyes, and when Yahiko groggily gave him the finger. Hiko arched an eyebrow.

"It seems he's picked up a bit more from the Rooster-head that even you would care to admit." Hiko mused, smirking again when a growled 'Bite me' was heard from across the hall. Kaoru chuckled, then sobered.

"Hiko-san, may I ask you something?" Kaoru asked.

"You're going to anyway, so why bother asking me for permission to ask me something?" Hiko in turn asked, somewhat crossly. Kaoru ignored his tone, and continued.

"Hiko-san, did something happen between you and Kenshin before you came to help us yesterday?" Kaoru again asked, undeterred by Hiko's attitude. She was immediately aware when he turned his full attention on her; she could almost feel his ebony eyes boring holes into her.

"What makes you think anything happened, Kamiya?" Hiko asked, his voice taking on a very slight edge as he spoke. Kaoru shrugged.

"I don't know. Something about you seems different from when you faced Fuji. Is something bothering you?" Kaoru questioned.

"Nothing is bothering me, Kamiya." Hiko replied, stubbornly. It was Kaoru's turn to arch an eyebrow. She could tell that the man was hiding something; his adamant refusal to admit it being the biggest clue of all. But she wasn't going to get an answer this night, since Hiko was now stubbornly silent; ebony eyes reflecting obstinacy even she couldn't break.

The next morning brought the sound of rain to the weary ears of everyone in the Shirobeko. Hiko awoke to find himself still within the upper level of the restaurant. With a look of irritation appearing on his features, the swordmaster slowly got to his feet, hiding a wince when his body protested against the movement.

"_I must leave now, otherwise I won't have the strength to do so later._" Hiko thought, as he quietly left the room, careful not to disturb Yahiko while doing so. Yet, before he left the Shirobeko entirely, Hiko paid a silent visit to his ailing apprentice. What he saw brought dismay even to him. Kenshin lay almost as still as death on his futon, and the only way Hiko could tell that the younger man was still alive was by his shallow breathing, and the very slight presence that still emanated from his now frail frame.

"_Shishio really did a number on you, Baka Deshi._" Hiko thought, as he walked over and kneeled alongside the badly wounded rurouni. For a brief moment, the coarse and stern swordmaster fell away from the white-mantled man, leaving a concerned father in his stead kneeling there.

"_I probably shouldn't leave; especially now, when he could die at any time. But that doctor Kamiya had mentioned earlier will have enough to worry about when she gets here. She shouldn't have to worry about a swordmaster who got hit by his own apprentice's attack._" Hiko mused, gritting his teeth when he again got to his feet and slowly walked out. He was therefore unaware when the younger man's eyelids fluttered, and a single, whispered word escaped from between Kenshin's lips.

"Shishou…………."

Sae Sekihara sighed as she watched the rainfall. The Shirobeko had not quite opened for the day yet, so things were still quiet in the dining room and kitchen. She turned when she heard footsteps descending the stairs from the upper level, and was a little surprised to see the white-cloaked form of Hiko Seijuro appear before her.

"Ohayo, Seijuro-san." Sae said, politely. He merely nodded civilly to her in response.

"This is going to make walking home miserable." Hiko muttered, as he motioned irritably at the rain.

"Then why don't you stay here till it stops? I can cook you some breakfast while you wait." Sae suggested, knowing something wasn't quite right when the man leaned on the wall for a moment.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'll be back in a few days to see how Kenshin is doing……….If he survives that long." Hiko said, before steeling himself against whatever discomfort he was in, and walking out of the restaurant into the pouring rain, quickly disappearing from sight as he moved on.

"_Suddenly, I've got a very bad feeling about this._" Sae thought, as a feeling of foreboding stole over her, and as she continued to look in the direction that Hiko had gone in. Little did she realize that her gut feeling would be proven right, in short order.

The ship had docked sometime late the previous night, yet the rain and the police force in Kyoto prevented the men on board from unloading the cargo from the hold. Grumbles and growls of malcontent were prevalent, as restless sailors glared out at the bad weather.

"Bloody 'ell! I wish we 'ad somethin' ta do, rather than just sit on our arses and wait for the bloody yellow men to decide whether we should unload or not!" one of the men complained, irritably.

"Aye, we all do. We got better things ta do than waste time in this godforsaken yellow man's port!" another agreed. They all turned when one of the other crewmembers spotted something outside.

" 'Ey! Mates! Grab a look at this!" another man shouted, as he pointed out the porthole at something on the docks. Curious to say the least, all of the men on board took a look at what their crewmate had seen. There, walking along the docks, strode a man. This man was unlike any the foreign sailors had ever seen; he was tall, with long black hair and equally dark eyes. his skin was well tanned, and he had the look and poise of an experienced warrior. But it was the cloak he wore that attracted the men's attention. It was pure white with blood red trim: it wasn't like anything the men had seen anywhere before.

"Oy, wouldn't that make a nice souvenir to take 'ome? That cloak would really stick out from all th' rest." The first sailor muttered, as he watched the man move confidently away from the docks.

"Yeah, it would. How's about we go and 'purchase' it from 'im? No one will care if a bloke like that goes missin'." The second sailor said, with an evil grin.

"I dunno, mates. 'E looks kinda tough ta me." Another sailor murmured, as he cautiously looked in the direction the cloaked man had gone.

"What're ya? A lad or a lass? Some 'o us are twice that bloke's size! If we all take 'im on together, then it should be no problem atall!" one of the larger sailors crowed, as he flexed his huge muscles for emphasis.

"Then let's go get that cloak, lads! Th' one who kills th' bloke gets it!" the first sailor shouted, getting yells of agreement from his crewmates. Within moments, they had broken out their guns and were ready for the hunt, their eyes glinting eagerly as they left the confines of the ship and went out into the pouring rain.

Hiko could sense he was being followed long before he heard the footsteps. He had taken a shortcut near the docks to avoid the deluge of people trying to find shelter from the rain, only to pick up some even more ominous shadows. When he paused beneath the relative shelter of some of the few remaining trees in the area, however, the rain masked the sounds he'd been hearing up until that point.

"_Damned rain! I can't hear a blasted thing!_" Hiko thought, in frustration, as he gripped his sheathed sword, ready for a fight. He didn't have to wait long; before he could even think of anything else, a gunshot sounded and a bullet sang past his head, opening a shallow wound on his face and imbedding itself into one of the trees behind him.

"_Guns!_" Hiko's mind shouted, as he leaped to avoid several more shots. He yelped in pain when two bullets found their marks in his legs, bringing him down with a crash. He could hear the sneering of male voices coming from all around him, and could tell that the owners of said voices were foreign; their accents gave them away.

"Aw, bloody 'ell! Got mud on th' cloak now!" one man's voice growled, in irritation. Fighting the pain haze that was starting to cloud his vision, Hiko struggled to get to his feet; valiantly ignoring the lancing agony when he put weight back onto his now injured legs. He knew now what it was the men were after; his mantle!

"_I shouldn't have left the Shirobeko_…………._not with the way my ribs are. I think I am about to pay for my pride_………………." Hiko thought, as he unsheathed his sword and took up a battle stance.

"Oy, a sword against guns? Who do ya think ya are, mate?" one of the other men sneered, cruelly.

"Someone with far more honor than the likes of you." Hiko snarled, then launched himself into battle. Faster than the eye could see, he took down man after man with what seemed to be ease, chopping their weapons in half as they fell. But, despite his best efforts, Hiko soon found himself surrounded. There were more opponents there than even he could handle in his injured state. For a brief moment, he stood there panting; struggling to breathe despite the fiery pain that was beginning to emerge in his chest.

"_I can't keep this up for much longer._" Hiko thought, as he got enough wind to lash out again. This time, things did not go as well as he'd hoped. One of the larger men was waiting for an opportunity like this, and swung his rifle like a club at Hiko's chest. The swordsman gagged when the weapon made contact, and Hiko could hear his ribs, some of which had been only cracked by Kenshin's blow, break. He landed hard on his back and slid a short distance before coming to a halt out in the middle of the street. Darkness surrounded Hiko then, and he drifted out of consciousness.

"_Shishou!_" a voice called, desperately. Hiko's mind responded to the voice by returning somewhat to consciousness.

"_Ken_………_shin?_" Hiko replied, his body arching in pain when he attempted to breathe.

"_Get up, Shishou! Don't let them kill you! Get up! Go find Megumi-dono! Hurry!_" Kenshin's voice said, urgently. Thinking for a moment to question his apprentice as to why he was doing the ordering around, Hiko slowly got to his hands and knees and stood up. Now he could see how many men he was up against; he had taken a good number of them out, but there had been more hidden in the wings. Foolishly for them, they had all exposed themselves from their hiding places when they thought he was dead, and now were at his mercy; even though they didn't know it yet.

"Dou Ryu Sen!" Hiko shouted, as he unleashed an attack, then launched himself into the air, flying over the men's heads and taking off down the road. The brutes did not know what hit them.

Meanwhile, at the train station, a certain female doctor was arriving. For a few moments, Takani Megumi stood in one place, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces.

"_Count on Kaoru to not be here! Where could she be!?_" Megumi wondered, before her attention was diverted to a commotion close by. To her shock, a tall man wearing a white mantle skidded to a halt and fell to his knees, coughing painfully and gasping for air. Physician's instincts taking over, Megumi put aside her irritation for the young kendo instructor and ran to the man's side. Her eyes widened when she saw blood in the man's hands, on his face, and on the ground in front of him.

"_His lungs are bleeding_……….._could it be tuberculosis? If so, then I can do nothing for him._" Megumi thought, grimly.

"Shh. Calm down. It's all right. Calm down." Megumi said, gently, when she saw how desperate the man's pain-glazed eyes looked. With expert ease, she brushed the man's long bangs out of his eyes, taking note of the high fever she found there as she went. His clothing was soaked by the steadily falling rain, much to Megumi's dismay, and it looked as though he'd run a good distance; as far as his current condition could allow.

"_He looks almost as though he were chased here_………_I wonder what could have spooked so strong a man into flight?_" Megumi mused, as some people stopped to watch her and the man; curious about the goings-on, and wary of the man himself. It was then that she noticed what appeared to be a bullet graze on his face, and the gunshot wounds in his legs, and some of the pieces started falling into place.

"_Guns. So that's what he was running from. In that case, that makes him a sensible one._" Megumi thought, as the man before her slowly started to catch his breath.

"Are you all right? Can you stand?" Megumi asked, as the rasping, shuddering, downright painful sounding gasps deepened a little, and the man looked her in the eye.

"Not…………..not yet. Chest feels……..like it's about to explode….." the man replied, his voice strained as he wrapped one strong arm around his chest and tried to steady himself.

"Then take your time to catch your breath….Can you tell me how you were injured?" Megumi again asked, gently.

"Baka………Deshi……..needed the last attacks of the Hiten Mitserugi Ryu……to fight against Shishio……….the last attack was meant to kill me……….but with that sakabatou of his………….it only broke bones. I got ambushed about twenty minutes ago…………" the man replied, painfully. Megumi's face blanched.

"Hiten Mitserugi Ryu? Do you, by any chance, know Ken-san?" Megumi asked. She was stunned by the man's next answer.

"Aa. I should…………..since I was the one who taught him everything he knows." The man murmured, his breaths coming easier now, since he was calming down.

"Then that would make you…………….." Megumi muttered, in utter disbelief.

"Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth, master of the Hiten Mitserugi Ryu………and Himura Kenshin's teacher." The man finished, calmly, as he wiped the blood from his face with his mantle. Megumi would have continued to stare at the man, had it not been for the timely arrival of a certain kendo instructor.

"Megumi-san! Where are you? Megumi-san!" Kaoru's voice called.

"Over here, Kaoru!" Megumi replied, shaking herself from her stunned stupor and turning in the direction the voice was coming from. Within moments, Kaoru had jogged over, her relief over finding the female doctor turning to alarm when she saw who was with her.

"Hiko-san, what happened!?" Kaoru yelped, her blue eyes wide with horror when Hiko painfully got to his feet and blood dripped from the bullet wounds in his legs.

"You don't want to know, Kamiya. All I can tell you is that I shouldn't have even considered leaving the Shirobeko." Hiko stated, surprised when the woman shouldered (or tried to shoulder) his weight when his legs almost gave out from under him.

"We've gotta get you back so Megumi-san can have a look at your wounds! I knew there was something wrong with you, you stubborn baka!" Kaoru ranted, angrily. Hiko's eyes narrowed.

"Who're you calling a stubborn baka, tanuki?" Hiko retorted.

"Tanuki!? ARGH! Have you been taking lessons from Saito on how to insult people?" Kaoru yowled, furiously. Hiko offered her a ghost of a smirk.

"Possibly………" Hiko replied.

"Kaoru! Don't hit him! He's my patient!" Megumi shouted, as Kaoru attempted to deck the arrogant swordmaster. Unbeknownst to any of them, on the far side of town, a certain man with amber eyes, sneezed.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Kaoru looked up in concern as she and Megumi tried to get a ride back to the Shirobeko. Hiko was standing beside her, with a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. He had refused any more help beyond that; wanting preserve as much of his dignity as he could. Yet, even through her shirt, she could feel the abnormal amount of heat coming from his skin, and when his grip tightened minutely when he tried to breathe too deeply.

"Hiko-san, are you sure?" Megumi asked, referring to when they had asked him if he could handle the walk back.

"Aa. Let's go. The Baka Deshi needs you." Hiko stated, as he valiantly started walking in the direction of the restaurant, with the two women following worriedly behind him.

"I can see now where Ken-san gets his stubbornness." Megumi whispered, so only Kaoru could hear her. Kaoru nodded silently in agreement. She knew that there were moments when Kenshin was incredibly stubborn, and she'd often wondered where he'd gotten it from.

"_Now I know._" Kaoru mused, as they took the long way back, pointedly avoiding the docks; for reasons only Hiko knew about.

Sae looked up when three people entered the restaurant. Expecting to see more customers, she came out to greet them. Her warm smile fell away when she saw who had just come in.

"Seijuro-san?! What in the world happened?!?" Sae yelped, when she saw the blood on the swordmaster's mantle. Hiko gave her a severe look.

"Never mind me, Sekihara. Show Takani where Kenshin is." Hiko ordered. With a slight moment's hesitation, Sae did as she was told, and rushed Megumi up the stairs to the room where Kenshin now lay. Now Kaoru was really concerned; Hiko almost never called Kenshin by name, and now he had just done so.

"_Is he worse off than we thought?!_" Kaoru wondered, as she and the swordsman climbed the stairs after Megumi and Sae. When they had gotten to a spare room at the end of the hall, Hiko sat down; collapsing against the wall with a sigh that sounded akin to relief. This quickly changed to a hiss of pain when all of his wounds protested at once, forcing a grimace out of him. He jumped somewhat when a cool hand touched his brow, and a pair of worried blue-grey eyes gazed into his.

"_I'm fine, Kamiya._" Hiko wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. In some ways, she reminded him of a woman from long ago; someone he'd all but forgotten about.

"You've got a really high fever. I think the next person Megumi-san should see to should be you." Kaoru murmured, not even turning to look when Sanosuke looked into the room.

"Damn, you look awful, Hiko. What happened?" Sanosuke asked, as he limped into the room and sat down across from the pair.

"Local riffraff happened, that's what." Hiko muttered, irritably.

"Y'mean some thugs actually managed to hit you? How'd they manage that?" Sanosuke again asked.

"Guns, and previous injuries given to me by that Baka Deshi of mine." Hiko answered.

"But why would Kenshin attack you?" Sanosuke questioned. Hiko sighed and rolled his eyes.

"The succession technique of the Hiten Mitserugi Ryu……….it's ougi." Hiko said, as he tried to ignore the burning pain in his legs and chest. Sanosuke's eyes widened.

"Ya mean the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki? He hit you with that?!" Sanosuke asked, getting a slight nod from the swordmaster in response.

"Damn. No wonder you're messed up. You're the first person he used it on, so he wouldn't have been able to tone it down like he had with Aoshi and Sojiro." Sanosuke muttered, then added, "And Jou-chan and Yahiko had told me how you came to the rescue while we were at Mt. Hiei. How were you even able to stand?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hiko in turn asked, with the intent to frustrate.

"_When it comes to some things, he's about as evasive as Kenshin!_" Sanosuke thought, not knowing that Kaoru was thinking the same thing. Their thoughts were disrupted when Hiko again coughed raggedly into his hand, looked in disgust at the specks of blood on his palm, then settled back with a sigh.

"It appears I won't be able to move for awhile." Hiko murmured.

"Looks that way." Kaoru agreed, knowing only too well that the swordmaster would have rather been someplace else.

"Your injuries almost rival those of Himura. The only difference is that you are still conscious." Aoshi stated, coolly.

"And even that is by a narrow margin. It is my training that is keeping me from going into shock, but eventually my body will have the final word in whether I remain conscious or not." Hiko admitted, leaning his head back against the wall tiredly to prove his point. Aoshi only nodded; he could tell just by looking at the swordmaster that the other man was on the verge of complete exhaustion.

"_I'm amazed with how he's remained conscious despite his injuries. Any one of those wounds would have been enough to knock a normal man out instantly._" Aoshi mused, as he watched the three from the doorway for a moment, then silently retreated back into his own room. He had no desire to attract Misao's attention and fall victim to her 'Kecho Kick' for even thinking of getting up and walking around.

"By the way, where is the Itachi? She didn't die from getting her wounds bandaged again, did she?" Hiko asked, with a smirk, almost as though he'd read Aoshi's mind. Kaoru and Sanosuke both flinched when they heard Misao shriek 'I heard that!!' at the tops of her lungs, then appear in a flash at the doorway.

"I see you're still alive." Hiko murmured, directing an infuriating glance at the young onmitsu while he was at it.

"You are just as irritating as that yellow-eyed freak of a swordsman called Saito!" Misao snapped, as she walked over and got right in Hiko's face. Hiko was nonplused.

"Really? That is the second time that name has come up in conversation. Was he one of the so-called 'Wolves of Mibu'?" Hiko asked, with some curiosity in his voice. He got a somewhat saddened look from Sanosuke as a response.

"Yeah……He wound up dying in the Inferno Room when it came down……I guess he went the way he wanted." Sanosuke murmured, grimly.

"No matter what kind of jerk he may have been, nobody deserves to die like that." Misao said, her tone much softer than before as she sat down on Hiko's left hand side. As the room went quiet, Hiko allowed his mind to wander. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that a lot of what happened in Mt. Hiei would never be revealed to those who had not been there. Yet, he still wondered what kind of difference could have been made if he'd gone after Kenshin when the battle against Fuji had been concluded.

"_Would I have been able to make a difference? It's one thing that Kenshin hadn't been able to bring Shishio down, it's quite another that a Wolf of Mibu could not do it either. Just how strong had Shishio been? What kind of mind smoldered behind the eyes of one who had been completely consumed by bloodlust and hatred?_" Hiko wondered, unaware that Kaoru was still watching him closely. She could see that the swordmaster was in deep thought, and that some of those thoughts turned to Kenshin, since his gaze occasionally drifted from the wounds in his legs, to the room where the injured rurouni lay. His unspoken concern, and the anguish hidden in his dark eyes, was invisible to Misao and Sanosuke, but were easily seen by Kaoru. Briefly, she wondered why it was so easy for her to pick up on the older man's emotions, then shook her head. If she'd been meant to understand, then she would have. The only conclusion she had was that the wall surrounding Hiko's emotions was cracked, and the rope binding them was worn thin by the past few days' events.

"_In other words, he's as tired as the rest of us._" Kaoru thought, as she moved to get some bandages to at least wrap Hiko's legs in till Megumi could get to him.

It was late in the evening when Megumi finally finished tending to Kenshin's wounds. The rurouni now slept quietly on his futon, still under the effects of the anesthetic Megumi had used so she could operate. As she entered the room where Hiko had been settled, she gave the swordsman a look of equal concern.

"_He looks worse than he did this morning_……._but that should come as no surprise. His injuries are as bad as Ken-san's; I don't even have to examine them to come to that conclusion._" Megumi thought, as she walked over and placed a hand on the man's forehead. In response to her touch, Hiko roused up from light sleep and looked her in the eye, not moving in the slightest from his seated position.

"Seijuro-san, I'm going to see to your legs first……..Though I must warn you. If the damage is too severe,…….I may have to amputate both of them. Do you understand?" Megumi asked, trying to prepare the man for the worst as gently as she could. Hiko gave her a cold look in response.

"If that is the case, Takani, when you use something to knock me out, kill me with it." Hiko ordered, shocking the female doctor with his words. Then Megumi considered who she was talking to; this was Kenshin's master, a man who was not used to staying in one place too long or burdening other people with his problems. She knew, as well as he did, that both would happen if he lost his legs. But his request was terrible, nonetheless.

"We'll just have to wait and see……..It's too soon to tell whether or not amputation will be necessary. I just hope it won't be." Megumi murmured, subdued by the swordmaster's morbid request. Hiko nodded, silently.

"Yet you won't know until you get started. If the damage is too great to be repaired, don't even bother to wake me up. I'd rather die whole, then live out my days as half of what I had been." Hiko said, grimly, as he removed his mantle and lay down, ready for the doctor to begin.

"But what about Ken-san? How do you think he'll react to hearing about your death? Don't you think that would hurt him even more?" Megumi asked. Hiko sighed.

"I don't know. Probably. One thing is certain, though; I don't want him to see me like this. Or to see me live out my years in one of those infernal Western wheelchairs. That alone would wound him even deeper than a sword ever could." Hiko replied, quietly, then ordered, "Get started, Takani." With a hesitant nod, Megumi got started. She first held a cloth soaked in anesthetic to Hiko's nose and waited for him to fall asleep. When he had, she moved down to his legs. She could tell that they had been freshly bandaged a few hours before, but now they were soaked all the way through; hinting at the severity of the wounds themselves.

"_I hope I don't have to live up to my promise. The opium I had made would have killed hundreds were it not for Ken-san coming to my rescue_……._I want to save his master, not kill him too_………_Please, let the bones be intact._" Megumi prayed, as she delicately cut the blood-soaked bandages free, then tore the left pants leg open so she could get to the wound.

"Megumi-san, do you need anything?" Sae asked, as she paused in the doorway.

"Yes. I need more hot water, clean cloths, medicine, bandages, and something to stitch the wounds closed when I am done. Also, he'll need something to lie on while he recovers." Megumi said, knowing that most, if not all, of the extra bedding the Shirobeko's inhabitants had to offer was being used already. Sae nodded.

"I'll see what I can do about the bedding, Megumi-san. The rest will be easy to get. Wait just a moment, and I'll get it sent up to you." Sae said, before rushing downstairs to get what was needed at that moment. Less than twenty minutes later, Megumi had what she needed and began the second most delicate operation of the day……..One she hoped would not end in the death of the Oniwabanshu's 'hero'.

Author's Note!

Yeah, yeah, I know. Cliffhanger! Don't worry though, I will try to have the next chapter out as soon as possible (writer's block has been merciless this year). All in all, I hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday!

Merry Christmas!

Gemini14


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Early morning light was beginning to filter in through some cracks in the wall when Megumi finished stitching the wounds in Hiko's legs closed. Turning her head and looking down, Megumi could see the fragments of the bullets she'd pulled out of the muscles and laid on a small tray beside her, glad that none of them had penetrated bone.

"_And I am pretty sure I got all of it out_………_He should recover completely_….._If and only if he gives himself enough time to, that is._" Megumi mused, as she carefully moved and placed the back of one hand to the man's brow, somewhat relieved to find that his fever had cooled considerably in the hours since they had first met.

"How's he doin' Megumi?" Sanosuke asked, quietly, from the doorway.

"Better. His fever isn't as bad as it was earlier." Megumi replied, as the ex-fighter-for-hire entered the room and sat down across from her.

"Good to hear…..So, how bad was the damage to his legs?" Sanosuke again asked.

"Not as bad as I thought. The bullets had shattered upon entry, but they had not damaged the bones. He was very lucky." Megumi stated.

"What would have happened if the bullets had struck bone?" Sanosuke questioned, somewhat surprising Megumi with all of his questions on the other man's welfare.

"He would have lost his legs. The bullets would have splintered the bones, making it impossible for them to mend properly." Megumi said, as she wiped her hands clean on a rag, then draped a blanket over the swordmaster, pulling it to the middle of his chest. Sanosuke nodded, not really understanding all that the doctor was saying, but getting the gist of most of it.

"I heard last night when you told him that you might have to amputate. You should've known then that the situation wasn't that serious, since he walked all the way here from the train station." Sanosuke stated, as he fixed a strangely serious gaze onto the female doctor.

"Everyone heard, Sagara, and it is not something to be taken lightly. Why did you suspect that his legs might be beyond repair?" Aoshi asked, startling both people in the room with his quiet voice.

"I……I had heard rumors, about how devastating foreign weapons could be. How some men could walk several miles on bones shattered by bullets and not even realize how badly they had been injured till they arrived in hospital tents." Megumi replied. Aoshi rolled his eyes.

"You should know better than to listen to such lies, Takani. You're a doctor, for pity's sake. Pay attention to the facts before you, not the fiction you hear." Aoshi muttered, with a surprising amount of irritation in his voice as he said that. Megumi scowled at him.

"I haven't dealt with very many gunshot wounds, Shinomori-san, and I have only the hearsay of other doctors to guide me in their treatment." Megumi said, angrily.

"That doesn't give you an excuse, Takani. You should know better. It is impossible for men to immediately stand up and walk on legs that have been broken……I should know, the Oniwabanshu suffered a few broken bones on a number of different occasions before we arrived at Kanryu's mansion." Aoshi said, his voice softening even more as he remembered what had happened just a few months before.

"Including you?" Megumi asked, with some skepticism in her voice. Aoshi only offered a minute nod before answering.

"Hai…..and that was due to some carelessness on my part." Aoshi admitted, his ice-blue eyes narrowing when his mind brought back images of some secret, long-forgotten, and decidedly painful event in his past.

"Wow…..never thought you'd admit somethin' like that." Sanosuke said. This got a ghost of a smirk from the former okashira as a response.

"A broken bone is nothing to joke about……especially when you have comrades counting on your strength to back them up." Aoshi murmured. Sanosuke nodded in complete understanding.

"I agree with ya there. So, when's he s'posed to wake up?" Sanosuke asked, as he pointed at the still unconscious swordmaster.

"In a few hours. It could be even sooner, considering how strong he is. In any event, his fever should break before then." Megumi said, as she tried to push aside her anger with Aoshi.

"That is, assuming you know what you're talking about." Aoshi muttered, sarcasm blatant in his voice as he gave Megumi his equivalent of a deadpan look. Sanosuke backed away when he saw the vein in the side of Megumi's head appear and when she growled something unseemly under her breath.

"I…hate…you." Megumi hissed.

"That is fairly obvious, isn't it?" Aoshi asked, not even flinching when Megumi stormed out of the room and stomped downstairs.

"She has it in for you, Aoshi." Sanosuke mumbled, as he sat down and reclined against the door jamb.

"I don't doubt it…..But I'll sign my will when I feel like it." Aoshi said, coolly.

"It's no wonder Saito called you the 'Icicle'. Sheesh." Sanosuke muttered. Aoshi said nothing more, but Sanosuke could sense the other man's amusement, even though no smile showed up on his stoic features.

It was well into afternoon when Hiko finally started to regain consciousness. The first sensation he became aware of was the dim feeling of someone being in the room with him. He could sense that the person was a woman, and that she was concerned about him. Other than that, his senses were strangely muffled.

"_Must be an aftereffect of that stuff Takani had used to knock me out._" Hiko mused, as he made an unconscious effort to move. The pain that came as a result jolted him back to full awareness almost instantly. His eyes snapped open and he bit back a cry of pain, taking notice in that instant that it was Kaoru sitting there in the room with him.

"Hiko-san!" Kaoru yelped, noticing the look of agony in the swordmaster's eyes when he'd awakened.

"Kamiya…….what're you doing in here?" Hiko asked, gritting his teeth as he struggled to get the pain under control and looking her in the eye as he did so.

"Megumi-san is changing Kenshin's bandages right now…… and she told me to keep an eye on you in the meantime." Kaoru replied, softly.

"I don't need a keeper, Kamiya." Hiko muttered, irritably.

"I'm not. In fact, I was supposed to tell Megumi-san when you woke up, so she could tend to your ribs. She couldn't do so while you were asleep." Kaoru said, with surprising patience on her part as she placed a damp rag back on his brow.

"Hmph…….I suppose that makes sense. Judging from the amount of pain I am feeling, it seems she didn't deem it necessary to take my legs off." Hiko muttered, as he tried to relax, somewhat surprised when he realized that there was a futon beneath him.

"Seems that way……but you'll have to remain still, if you want your legs to heal, Hiko-san." Kaoru said, as she briefly glanced at the swordmaster's injured legs, then back at his face. He gave her a look that was a cross between sarcastic and pained.

"Kamiya, how far do you think I could get with my legs the way they are? Granted, I could still get a little bit farther than the average man, but that would be pushing it." Hiko stated, forcing himself to sit up when Megumi entered the room.

"So, did you manage to shut the Itachi up?" Hiko asked, getting something that resembled a wry smirk from Megumi as a response.

"I wanted to tie her up with the bandages and gag her with a dirty sock…..but, alas, I could find nothing of the sort nearby, and I need all the bandages I have available on hand." Megumi joked, finding it easier to talk to the swordsman than she'd initially thought. Hiko also smirked, while Kaoru tried to smile and actually managed a small one. Yet she almost did a double take when Hiko gave her a look of reassurance (when Megumi's back was turned, of course), and remembered when Kenshin had given her that same look before leaving to fight Shishio. Then the look was gone; vanished beneath the calm and collected exterior of the thirteenth master of the Hiten Mitserugi Ryu.

"_Did I imagine it_……." Kaoru wondered, as she watched Hiko reluctantly remove his shirt and as Megumi started feeling the ribs for breaks. She would probably never know.

Early evening was rolling in when Hiko was awakened again; this time by Yahiko. Through barely open eyes, he silently watched as the boy carefully moved about the room, noticing with some amusement when the boy curiously touched his mantle (it had been placed in a corner by either Megumi or Kaoru while he'd been sleeping). He also noticed when Yahiko reverently picked up his sword and gazed at the wooden handle and sheath.

"Winter Moon?" Yahiko whispered, when he'd read the faded symbols on the sword's handle.

"Aa. The heirloom of the Hiten Mitserugi Ryu. It has been passed from master to apprentice since before the Sengoku Era……..till now." Hiko murmured, almost causing Yahiko to drop the sword in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Yahiko asked, deciding it was better to keep the subject on swords (and placing said sword carefully alongside the mantle as he did so).

"Kenshin refused the mantle and sword as the sign of being the successor…….then went and faced Shishio. The rest you know." Hiko said, softly, the effort of talking sending stabs of pain through his ribcage. Yahiko nodded, taking in the man's appearance as he did so. Even though he was young, Yahiko could tell that the older man was in serious pain. Getting hit with a sakabatou was nothing to laugh about…….especially when the attack that had been used would have killed him had it been done with a normal sword.

"_Megumi hadn't been kidding when she'd said that he was in rough shape. It's hard to believe Kenshin did this to him, though._" Yahiko mused, flinching when loud yelling emanated from the room where Misao was recovering. And he shared an exasperated sigh in response to it.

"So much for peace and quiet, ne?" Yahiko muttered.

"Aa." Hiko grumbled, in agreement, then added, in irritation, "This is why I avoid people. Most, if not all, of them have mouths that are far too big for their own good."

"I think we can both agree on that, Seijuro-sensei." Yahiko said, as he walked over and gave the door down the hall a scathing glare. It was quite some time before the inhabitants and guests of the Shirobeko knew peace and quiet again.

Author's Note!

Yes, I know this wasn't a very exciting chapter…..but I am starting to run out of ideas for this fic. If anybody has any fresh ideas as to how this story could continue, please let me know! Thanks!

Gemini14


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

It was late in the night of the eighth day after the battle with Shishio when Kenshin's delirium reached its peak. His fever, that of which Megumi had been trying desperately to break, made it that much worse.

"SHISHOU!!!!" Kenshin suddenly screamed, scaring several years out of the lives of the people within the Shirobeko. Out of sound sleep, Hiko bolted upright, eyes wide with concern. Without even thinking he got up and dashed over to Kenshin's room, not noticing when he tore the wounds in his legs open again.

"Hiko-san!!" Kaoru had cried, when she saw him rush past. He didn't pay her any heed; for, within moments, he was at the rurouni's side.

"Hiko-san! What are you doing……?!" Megumi yelped, trailing off when she saw the swordmaster kneel down beside the smaller man's futon and put a hand to his brow. Almost instantly, Kenshin settled down; somehow sensing Hiko's presence despite his delirium. After a few tense moments, Hiko allowed himself to relax. With a wince he realized too late that he shouldn't have moved so quickly; crimson patches were staining through the bandages on his legs, giving him the none-too-subtle hint that he'd torn his own injuries open in his haste to get to his apprentice's side.

"What's goin' on?! What's all the yellin' about?!?" Sanosuke asked, as he, Misao, Kaoru and Okina rushed in, all of them pausing when they saw Hiko kneeling there, with fresh blood already soaking the bandages on his thighs.

"This crisis is over. The Baka Deshi should be all right for the moment." Hiko assured, as he stubbornly got to his feet; his face paling dramatically when he did so.

"Hold it right there. You shouldn't even be standing, much less running! What were you thinking?!" Megumi asked, somewhat in disbelief at the man's actions.

"I wasn't, Takani. That's just it……something like that is almost instinct…….You'll know what I mean, when you become a parent." Hiko whispered, so only Megumi could hear, before he resolutely limped to a corner of the room and leaned against the wall, drained after moving even the short distance between rooms. He looked up wearily when Sanosuke approached him and placed his good hand on his shoulder.

"Need help getting back to your room?" Sanosuke asked. Hiko shook his head.

"I'll go back when I feel like it." Hiko muttered, meaning to sound belligerent, but coming off sounding exhausted instead, much to his frustration. Sanosuke shrugged, then backed up and walked out of the room.

"You should go back and rest, Hiko-san. As it is, you shouldn't be up yet either." Kaoru said, gently, trying a slightly different approach than what Sanosuke had tried. Hiko gave her an ironic look. He could almost hear the underlying thought for Kaoru's words; what she was really trying to get across. _Just rest. You don't want Kenshin to worry, do you?_

"_Feh_……._Baka Deshi gets what he wants without even having to be conscious._" Hiko thought, as he gave the sleeping rurouni a wry glance, before slowly walking away from the wall on his own.

The smell was what hit him first. Gunpowder. Then burning flesh and fresh blood. He let out a gasp when he felt the first round hit him.

"Mine against yours! Even Hiten Mitserugi can't beat a gun!" a man in feudal warlord regalia crowed, as blood flowed freely down Hiko's armor from his left shoulder.

"Iwano, you coward!" Hiko roared, furiously, short sword bared as he charged at his hated enemy. A second gunshot stopped him in his tracks, the blast hitting him in the right shoulder this time and getting a fine spray of blood as a result.

"You are Kitakata's last hope. After I finish you, Kitakata is as good as mine! And Natsu!" 'Iwano' sneered, as his underlings handed him a fresh gun. Hiko was barely listening; his mind consumed with hatred and the agonizing pain.

"I saved that woman from death by making her my wife, but all she does is cry. She cries for you!" Iwano continued. This got Hiko's attention; Natsu cried for him?! Before he could think of anything else, a third blast struck him right in the center of the chest, breaking ribs and forcing him to cough up blood. He fell to his knees, dropping his short sword into a puddle of his own blood, his strength ebbing quickly.

"Then this is it……._with my own mortal enemy before me_……_" Hiko thought, not even listening when Iwano's insane laughter echoed down the ravine to his ears. He looked up when a telltale gleam caught his eye. _

"The moon…….._The clouds have cleared and the moon is shining. This will make escape easier for Isshinta_……_" Hiko mused, then remembered with a jolt; it was the night of the new moon! _

"Then that crescent moon……_is it?! Yes! It_……._?!?" Hiko thought, his mind taking in first the sight of his sword, then the person who now wielded it. _

"Isshinta!!" Hiko yelped, then added, "You idiot! Why did you come back?! You must want to die!!"

"I don't want to die! I want to see Natsu alive!" Isshinta replied, referring to the girl he loved with that statement.

"Then turn around and run!" Hiko commanded, even though it hurt to raise his voice in such a manner. He was stunned by Isshinta's response.

"But you too! You have to live to see your Natsu!" Isshinta cried.

"You fool! You came back to tell me that?! I'm the man who abandoned Natsu-hime! I have no place to run! I have no right to return to her!" Hiko shouted, then added, "Forget about me and run, Isshinta! I don't want to make your Natsu cry!"

"Hiko-sama, it's you who's the fool! Don't you know why Natsu-hime cries?! I don't want my Natsu to cry, but I can't let Natsu-hime cry, either! Don't run away through death, Hiko-sama! If you do, then Natsu-hime's tears will never stop!" Isshinta said, as his voice started fading away.

"Isshinta!" Hiko called, as the memory faded from around him.

"Live on, Hiko-sama. Don't make Natsu-hime cry." Isshinta's voice whispered, before another voice called for him.

"Shishou………..

…….…………..……………….……….. 

Hiko gasped and bolted upright, hissing in pain when his ribs reminded him that it wasn't wise to make any sudden movements. For a brief moment, he was disoriented; then he remembered, he'd returned to his room and collapsed on the futon. He could tell that he'd been drugged again (since his senses were sluggish to tell him much of anything), and that his leg wounds had been re-stitched and bound in fresh bandages.

"_I'd give anything for a full jug of sake right about now._" Hiko mused, then looked at his legs and took that back.

"_Almost anything._" Hiko silently amended. He most certainly did not want to be an invalid! He'd commit sepukku before it came to that!

"Boy, you sure look grim right now. Have a bad dream?" Misao's voice asked, startling Hiko somewhat in the fact that she'd been sitting right next to him and he hadn't even sensed her!

"You could say that. How long have I been out?" Hiko questioned, seemingly eager to change the subject.

"Almost a whole day. You had us worried sick last night, though. Your fever returned with a vengeance." Misao said, deciding to be frank and honest with him about that. Hiko sighed; he was nowhere near ready to leave, judging by that bit of news.

"I guess I owe you and yours some thanks, Itachi." Hiko reluctantly admitted, ignoring the female ninja's rather angry glare when he'd called her by that hated nickname. Then her anger cooled, and curiosity took over.

"Hiko-san, when Megumi changed the bandages on your chest last night, she found something weird. She said it looked like you'd been shot before, in both shoulders…..and that the scars looked old. When did it happen?" Misao asked. She got nothing but silence from the swordmaster as a response.

"Misao, stop pestering him." Yahiko's voice said, from the other end of the hall. Misao bristled.

"Mind your own business, brat!" Misao snapped, getting a flinch from Hiko when she raised her voice.

"Make me!" Yahiko retorted. Hiko rolled his eyes; he knew that that had been the wrong thing to say to the hyperactive ninja.

"Fine then! Here I come!" Misao shouted, as she charged out of the room to go and throttle Yahiko.

"_Makes me glad I only had one deshi to deal with_…….." Hiko mused, with a deadpan expression on his face as sounds of battle came to his ears from the room down the hall.

Some time later, when silence once again reigned within the Shirobeko, Kaoru entered Hiko's room with a game board and some books. The wounded swordmaster arched an eyebrow when he saw her.

"Aren't you the thoughtful one?" Hiko asked, getting a slight smile from Kaoru as a response.

"There isn't much to do now, since all the bandages have been changed and everyone is resting. I figured a game of Go would take our minds off of our troubles for a bit." Kaoru said, her blue-grey eyes hinting at the worry that she had for Kenshin. Hiko sighed.

"You should know that I show no mercy, not even for women." Hiko warned, as Kaoru placed the game board on the floor between them.

"I know. I was hoping for more of a challenge from you, since Kenshin always seems to let me win." Kaoru responded, chuckling when Hiko rolled his eyes and muttered an exasperated sounding 'Baka Deshi' under his breath before shaking his head for added emphasis.

"Fine then. What color do you choose?" Hiko asked, finally.

"White." Kaoru replied.

"So I get to be the 'bad guy' this time, eh? Fair enough." Hiko murmured, as he placed all of the black pieces on the board. Within moments a vicious battle had begun on the board. Hiko found, to his surprise, that Kaoru was more than just a halfway decent player; she was a worthy opponent!

"_Maybe I was the baka for taking her on! She's better at this than she looks!_" Hiko thought, as he focused on the game, cursing softly when she took another of his pieces. While the game was going on, Kaoru took this opportunity to get a good look at Hiko. She was starting to see where some of Kenshin's mannerisms had come from; the thoughtful scowl on Hiko's face was very similar to the one Kenshin sometimes wore, and the deadpan expression that sometimes graced his features was another. Another thing he did that was telling was that, whenever he was trying to plan his moved well in advance, he crossed his arms lightly and glared at the board; eyes taking everything in.

"I win." Kaoru said, at last, smiling as she took the last of his pieces.

"This isn't over, Kamiya. I challenge you to another match." Hiko stated, in a no-nonsense tone.

"All right. Which color?" Kaoru asked, even though she had a feeling which one he would choose.

"White, this time." Hiko said, as he took the pieces he hadn't already captured and placed them on his side of the board. This time, however, the game went in Hiko's favor. Kaoru smiled when she saw that the older man was enjoying himself, despite his serious exterior.

"_All he needed was a distraction, something to occupy his mind. He's just as worried as the rest of us are_………_probably even moreso._" Kaoru mused, looking up when Hiko asked her a question.

"Who taught you how to play this game, anyway?" Hiko asked, sounding honestly curious.

"My father taught me. Before he was drafted for the Seinan War, we spent many hours playing. Almost as many hours as we did kenjutsu practice." Kaoru replied, smiling fondly at the memories as they came to mind. Hiko nodded slightly. He could almost imagine the scene of the father trying to teach his stubborn and excitable daughter to play the intricate game; and remembered what it had been like when he'd taught Kenshin.

"_They really aren't that different from one another, as far as that is concerned. But she has no blood on her hands, no burden on guilt on her soul. While Kenshin has both of those problems to deal with_…….._and I have them as well._" Hiko thought, remembering only too well his own bloody past, and his efforts to try and put it behind him. As the game continued on, the young kenjutsu teacher and the thirteenth Hiten Mitserugi master sank into companionable silence; no further words were needed.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

__

Hiko sighed as he looked out at the woodlands surrounding the ornate buildings that he had called home for almost fifty years. Inside the room behind him, his wife, Natsu, lingered between life and death. Granted, she had lived a good long life, but it felt so sudden to him. Even though she looked her age, Hiko didn't look his. He still looked as he had when he'd taken up the mantle and sword of Hiten Mitserugi Ryu.

"Hiko-sama." A male voice said, as the owner approached him.

"I know. I felt her leave, just now." Hiko murmured, sadly.

"I'm sorry, Hiko-sama. It was just her time." The other man said, trying to comfort the grieving man in front of him. Hiko only nodded, then quietly stood.

"I'm leaving as well. The only things I will take with me are Winter Moon and my mantle. I will not be coming back, so don't look for me come evening." Hiko said.

"Understood. We will miss you……._as will your sons and their families." The man whispered, as grief sprang anew in Hiko's dark eyes._

"And I will miss them….._But this is the only way I know to keep them and my grandchildren out of danger_……_For a short while, at least. Take care of them for me, Isshinta. I'm counting on you." Hiko said, as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder. For a moment, the man's eyes widened, then a small, sad smile took up residence on his aged face._

"I haven't been called Isshinta in years, Hiko-sama. It certainly brings back memories." Isshinta murmured.

"It does indeed……._Take care of yourself, and farewell." Hiko said, before he disappeared into the building to get the only possessions he wanted to take with him, then vanished out of Isshinta's life, and the life of his family, forever._

"Farewell, Hiko-sama." Isshinta said, to no one in particular, as tears slid unbidden down his cheeks.

…………………….. 

Rain was again pattering on the roof of the Shirobeko when Hiko awoke on the tenth day after the battles. He could hear the inhabitants of the restaurant moving around, but felt that something wasn't quite right. A gut instinct told him that something was wrong; seriously wrong. And he knew better than to ignore feelings like this.

"_What is going on?_" Hiko wondered, as he tried to pinpoint what it was that was causing him to feel uneasy. With a pained hiss, he sat up and reached for his sword, then pushed aside the blankets that had been draped on his legs and slowly stood. It took a few moments for him to brace himself against the feeling of intense pain and the nausea brought on by it; years of experience lending their aid to him now. When he was able to move, he took slow, careful steps; moving silently through the upper half of the restaurant and ignoring the lancing pain each step brought. Uneasily, he moved from room to room, checking on all who were there (and this included even Aoshi and Sanosuke). The last person he checked on was Kenshin. He was relieved to see that all seemed to be well with his apprentice, and everyone else within the restaurant's upper level, for that matter. With a sigh, he sank into a seated position against one of the walls in Kenshin's room, taking extra care to breathe slowly, so his injured ribs wouldn't protest too much.

"Shishou, daijobu ka?" Kenshin's voice asked, suddenly, startling Hiko somewhat. He calmed down quickly enough, however, before he looked at Kenshin. The red-haired rurouni was looking at him with tired, yet completely clear, amethyst eyes. And concern was the chiefest of expressions in those eyes at that moment.

"As well as I can be, considering most of my ribs are broken." Hiko muttered, irritably, secretly glad that his Baka Deshi had awakened. This was all the proof he needed to see that the fever had broken.

"Gomen, Shishou." Kenshin murmured, shamefacedly.

"It wasn't your fault, though you are partially to blame." Hiko stated, with some of his usual arrogance.

"Oro? What happened?" Kenshin asked, as he sat up; whimpering somewhat when his own wounds protested against it.

"I'll tell you at a later date……over some good jugs of sake." Hiko mumbled, uttering a sound of pain in his throat when he went to stand up again. It was then that Kenshin spotted the bandages on his master's legs.

"Shishou……..so you were….." Kenshin muttered, in disbelief.

"What? Shot? Aa. And I seem to recall that you were the one that ordered me to get up and find Takani." Hiko said, trying to gauge Kenshin's reaction to that statement. He watched as Kenshin's eyebrows knitted, and a thoughtful look crossed his features.

"Don't think too hard, Baka Deshi. You might injure yourself even further." Hiko dryly quipped, getting a somewhat exasperated look from the redhead in response.

"Shishou…." Kenshin mumbled, giving the older man a deadpan look while he was at it. Hiko merely brushed the look off, as he had on many other occasions, then gave Kenshin a look of curiosity.

"Well? How do you explain what you did earlier? Actually hearing you gripe and complain in real life is one thing…….but to hear you in my mind is somewhat frightening." Hiko said, with sarcasm blatant in his voice.

"I have no idea what I did, to be honest, Shishou. I just knew you were in danger, and helped you in the only way I knew how, at that point. Somehow……I don't know how……I felt your consciousness waver." Kenshin replied, explaining as best as he knew how exactly what had happened. Hiko's eyes narrowed; he had heard of something like this happening before, but the memory was so distant and faded, he couldn't recall where he'd heard it.

"_In any event, it doesn't matter now. The only implication of this, is that I will probably be able to sense when that Baka Deshi gets himself waist-deep in trouble_…._ Lovely._" Hiko thought, not even bothering to hide a disgusted scowl at the idea. Kenshin could guess what his master was thinking, and chuckled softly at his expense. The moment was broken when Kaoru came up the stairs and looked into the room. At first, she seemed startled that Hiko was once again in Kenshin's room, but then looked over at the rurouni and an expression of joy and relief appeared on her face.

"Kenshin! You're awake!" Kaoru shouted, alerting those downstairs (and waking everyone upstairs) with that. Kenshin in turn gave her a truly happy smile.

"Aa. And sessha is glad to see you again, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said, as Sanosuke and Megumi entered the room, jostling past Misao, Okon, and Omasu, in their haste.

"Well, it seems that Himura is past the point of worry, ne, Seijuro?" Aoshi asked, coolly. Hiko shrugged.

"That depends on who you're talking to. I, on the other hand, will always worry about the baka." Hiko muttered, with a deadpan expression of his own on his face. The former okashira nodded in understanding.

"I suppose the same could be said about Misao…..although I don't think I would go so far as to call her a baka. Hyperactive and hot-blooded would be more like it." Aoshi murmured.

"I would say that she is all three, but I have no desire to get kicked by a rabid Itachi at the moment." Hiko grumbled, getting something that sounded like a chuckle from the onmitsu. Then, before anything more could be said, the ominous feeling from before returned with a vengeance, drawing Hiko away from the gathering and to one of the windows in the small room. What he saw when he opened the window froze the blood in his veins; a huge, ogre of a man stood in plain view on the street below. Empty, glowing eyes glared up at him, and an icy chill of recognition raced down Hiko's spine.

"_Oh no_…." Hiko thought, knowing instantly that something wasn't right with the man below.

"Seijuro-sensei? What's wrong?" Yahiko asked, noticing before everyone else that the master swordsman's stance had tensed. When Hiko didn't answer, Kenshin spoke up.

"Shishou, what is it?" Kenshin asked, his voice getting the swordmaster's attention after a few moments.

"There's a swordsman down there. Seems he's searching for a fight." Hiko murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said that. As quietly as they could, Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Aoshi walked over to the window and looked out. This got a number of different responses from the trio; Kaoru gasped in shock and fear, and her eyes widened; Sanosuke growled and tensed as well; and Aoshi took in and analyzed the 'ogre-man's' ki.

"Isurugi Raijuta……..what the hell is he doing here?" Sanosuke snarled, hackles raised as memories returned to him of this particular man.

"Do you think he's looking for Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, fearfully, as the redhead gave the four of them a disturbed glance.

"I don't think so………Whomever this 'Raijuta' was when you met him, this isn't the same man. His ki doesn't feel normal……in fact, it feels almost as though he's nothing more than a walking corpse." Aoshi stated, quietly, his ice-blue eyes taking on a disturbed look as he said that.

"But there's no such thing! How could that guy be walking around if he's dead! It just doesn't make sense!" Misao interjected, voicing her disbelief.

"You'd be surprised, Itachi. In any case, we're dealing with a possessed man here…..And the only one who can truly deal with this situation is an onmyoji." Hiko muttered, his eyes getting a haunted look in them, before he turned and walked out of the room, heading for 'his' room to retrieve his sword.

"Hiko-san! You're in no shape to fight!" Megumi shouted, suddenly realizing what he was going to do and breaking her silence. Hiko paused, turned, and gave her a grave look.

"Neither is Kenshin." Hiko stated, biting back a gasp when he bent to pick up the sword, but left the mantle on the floor.

"You're crazy! You'll get killed!" Misao shouted, trying to prevent him from going downstairs by blocking the way with her much smaller frame.

"Maybe….but then again, maybe not. My master used to tell me, long ago, that where there is life, there will always be hope. It doesn't always have to be kill or be killed." Hiko said, softly, as he started to descend into the lower part of the restaurant.

"Seijuro." Aoshi called, getting the older man to pause and look back at him.

"I will go and get an onmyoji. There happens to be one close by. I'll go personally and get him." Aoshi volunteered.

"You sure you're in any shape to be doing so, Shinomori?" Hiko asked, as he gave the younger man a critical look. He had seen what kind of condition the three had been in when they'd returned from Mt. Hiei, and knew that Aoshi had also suffered serious injuries. Aoshi's eyes narrowed.

"The same could be asked of you, Seijuro. Yet, all the same, I will go and get the help we need in this matter……..It is about all I can do, to repay you for saving the new Oniwabanshu from Shishio." Aoshi said, the latter part of his response so soft, that only Hiko could hear it. With a reluctant nod, Hiko resolutely continued on his way down with Aoshi following close behind.

"Shishou." Kenshin said. Hiko uttered a sound of irritation in his throat, then responded.

"What, Baka Deshi?" Hiko asked, impatiently.

"Be careful." Kenshin murmured.

"Aa." Hiko muttered, pretending not to be touched by the worried tone he'd heard in his apprentice's voice.

"Please be careful, Aoshi-sama." Misao begged, getting a nod from the former okashira as an answer. Within moments, the two men were out of earshot, and entering the street below. Where 'Raijuta' waited.

"And you're just letting 'im go, just like that?" Sanosuke asked, as he gave Kenshin a disbelieving look. Kenshin only sighed.

"What else could I do, Sano? I am only his apprentice, so I have no authority to tell him to remain……..Besides, he has a more stubborn nature than even Saito had. And once Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth makes up his mind, there's no changing it. I should know; I put up with more than ten years of it." Kenshin muttered, in dismay.

"Let's just hope that that same stubborn and arrogant nature doesn't get him killed this time around." Megumi said, worried for her patient, and the man Kenshin had looked up to as a father figure in the past, and still did now.

"I think we all can agree with ya on that, Megumi." Sanosuke murmured, as grim looks settled onto all of their faces.

"_Please come through this safely, Hiko-san. Please._" Kaoru thought, as she returned to Kenshin's side held his hand tightly in her own.

……………………………..

Author's Note!

I know this is a pretty bizarre chapter, but I couldn't get this picture out of my mind (i.e. Hiko facing off against Raijuta). But everybody will have to wait to find out in the next chapter why Hiko thinks it would take more than his sword to put this ghost to rest. Also, there was a slight homage to Unseen Watcher's oneshot fic, 'Dragons'. I hope this chapter was all right, otherwise!


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

When the onmitsu and swordmaster had gotten down to the street, Hiko could immediately tell when something around the bulkier man shifted. At first, the glow in the eyes intensified, then it dulled, to reveal a pair of icy brown eyes.

"So, we meet again, Seijuro." 'Raijuta' said, in a hollow voice that made even the hardened Aoshi shudder.

"Indeed. Though I would have rather had it that the seal had not been destroyed that way." Hiko said, almost casually, as he placed Winter Moon blade-tip first into the ground; making a show of appearing nonchalant.

"Ah , yes. That meddlesome houshi, and his half-wit companions. Did you really think you could seal me away forever?" 'Raijuta' taunted.

"No, but I could make an attempt, couldn't I?" Hiko asked, not even looking up when Aoshi leaped onto a low-hanging eave, then the adjacent roof, before dashing off in what Hiko hoped was the direction of the onmyoji. It was in that instant that the brief standoff was broken; 'Raijuta' unleashed his powerful Tobi Izuna, and Hiko just barely managed to block it with a Dou Ryu Sen.

"Shishou!" Kenshin yelped, from inside, as he valiantly got up from his futon and stood at one of the windows beside a startled Kaoru and Sanosuke.

"'Shishou' eh? Your deshi, I presume?" 'Raijuta' asked, with a sneer, as he glanced up at the windows. With pained gasps, Hiko struggled to remain standing, yet resolutely placed himself between the building and the ogre-man.

"That is none of your business, Iwano. As long as I remain standing, you will not touch this building…..or the people within." Hiko replied, coldly, his dark eyes narrowing as he found strength from somewhere to catch his breath and stand up straighter.

"Then we'll just see how long you can remain standing!" 'Raijuta' snarled, as he sent another attack barreling at the wounded swordsman. With all the skill Hiko could muster in his injured state, he drove Winter Moon even deeper into the ground; absorbing all of the energy he could from the blow, and dispersing it. Seconds later, all in the upper story of the restaurant had to stifle gasps and screams of horror when blood spurted from new and even old wounds on Hiko's body, forcing the man to his knees.

"_He's in as bad a shape now as Kenshin was ten days ago!_……_If he doesn't stop fighting soon, he won't make it; no matter how strong he is!_" Sanosuke thought, clenching both fists and gritting his teeth in pain that was both physical and emotional. True, he did not know Kenshin's master very well, but even he could sense the strong bond between them; and it was almost the same kind of bond he'd shared with Sagara Sozo of the Sekihoutai.

"_Please hurry, Aoshi. I don't think Hiko can stand this for too much longer!_" Sanosuke thought, urgently, as he looked away from the desperate situation, and in the direction the former okashira had taken.

……………………..

Aoshi panted as he raced along the rooftops; his breaths searing his own injured lungs like hot knives. He knew time was not on his side, that every second was precious time lost in the fight to save all within the Shirobeko.

"_Must keep moving_……_the onmyoji isn't too far ahead now_……" Aoshi thought, grimacing as his own body began to rebel against him; bruised and broken ribs making his senses blur. It was when he was forced to stop and catch his breath that Aoshi noticed that something was flying towards him.

"_Birds?_" Aoshi wondered, as they stopped in front of him, and beckoned for him to follow them.

"_How strange_……." Aoshi mused, as he slowly descended from the rooftop, and followed the birds into a rather plain-looking building.

"Daijobu?" a girl's voice asked, softly. Aoshi was rather startled when he saw that he was now in a formal room, with a girl in a kimono.

"Aa…..might you…..know where….to find the……residence…..of the…..Sumeragi Clan? I have need…..of their assistance…." Aoshi gasped, painfully. The girl in question, who had silky, shoulder-length black hair, and emerald eyes, smiled gently at him.

"Hai. But first, let's have some tea." the girl chirped, pleasantly. Despite being winded, Aoshi managed an arched eyebrow, and a somewhat disbelieving look.

"Tea?...At a time like this?...There are people who may be dying! Tea?" Aoshi asked, in disbelief at the girl's nonchalant attitude.

"But of course! You look as though you have run quite a distance. Please, have a seat." The girl said, her smile not diminishing in the slightest as she motioned to the only other mat in the room and beckoned for him to sit down. For a moment, Aoshi considered the offer; how tempting it was to just sit down and catch his breath,……and yet the danger to his comrades and loved ones was all too near. Especially too close to Misao for comfort.

"Sorry, but I have no time for this. I came here to find some help for a warrior who is currently fighting for not only his life, but also those of some people I know and care for. Excuse my rudeness, but I must leave now……If anything, I can help to at least wound the attacker before he gets too close to make escape impossible." Aoshi stated, as he turned to leave.

"You would return to them, even though you know full well that you would not be able to stop the attack? That the delay would not matter? You would go back even if it meant it won't change anything?" the girl asked, stopping in the mid-action of placing one teacup near the empty mat. Aoshi paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Yes. I would." Aoshi murmured.

"Then you have your answer, Shinomori-san." The girl stated. Aoshi turned slowly and gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?" Aoshi asked, quietly.

"This is the answer you have been seeking since your comrades' deaths, is it not?" the girl asked, in turn. At this, Aoshi froze; for a moment, he could almost hear the Oniwabanshu's final thoughts, before rushing into the maw of the gatling gun.

"_Is this worth it? Will it help the Okashira?_" Beshimi's voice asked, echoing through what seemed to be almost an empty expanse.

"_Will he be able to escape from here?_" Hyottoko's voice continued.

"_We must do what we can to help him get outta here._" Shikijo's voice muttered.

"_It is all we can do, since we have nothing outside of fighting. We might not be able to stop it, but we can certainly try to make the escape easier._" Hannya finally murmured. For a few moments, Aoshi could feel the numbness of the past few months fall away, and anger boiled within him for the first time since the deaths of the four onmitsu. Yet, when he turned to look at the girl again, he was again taken aback when he saw that the girl was now standing in front of him, offering him a cup of tea.

"Are you sure you don't want a cup?" the girl asked, quietly, snapping Aoshi out of his silent rage and bringing him back to the present.

"Quite certain. Sorry for the intrusion." Aoshi murmured, as he again turned to leave.

"Then I will come with you." The girl said, as she strode alongside of him to the door.

"You shouldn't. A battle such as this is no place for someone who is inexperienced." Aoshi stated, coolly.

"Don't worry, Shinomori-san. I can hold my own. Trust me." The girl said, as she gave him a wry glance. In that instant, the girl's clothing changed from the formal kimono to the ceremonial robes of an onmyoji!

"You? You're……?" Aoshi asked, trailing off in uncertainty and shock.

"A Sumeragi onmyoji? Hai. In fact, I'm the twelfth head of the clan. I'm Sumeragi Suzuno, pleased to meet you, Shinomori Aoshi-san." The girl said, with a slight, polite bow to him in greeting.

"If that is the case, then why the illusions?" Aoshi again asked, dumbfounded by the pretense on the female onmyoji's part.

"To protect myself and the rest of the clan. You see, even in this era, there are those who seek to destroy the Sumeragi. I had to be sure that you weren't one of those….so I tested you in this manner." Suzuno stated, as her emerald eyes boldly met Aoshi's ice-blue ones. Aoshi sighed.

"I can somewhat see where you are coming from with that. But that doesn't change the fact that the people I had come on the behalf of are still in danger. One man could already be dead by now, since I have tarried so long here." Aoshi murmured, darkly, remembering what he'd sensed when he'd left the Shirobeko a short distance behind him.

"You'd be surprised…..Follow me." Suzuno beckoned, as she started walking out the same door Aoshi had used to enter.

"Won't that just lead us back to the street?" Aoshi asked, voicing his confusion on this matter. Suzuno only smiled vaguely at him.

"Just wait and see, Shinomori-san." Suzuno replied, as she lightly took him by the hand and led him through the door. One could only imagine Aoshi's shock when he saw that, suddenly, he was back in front of the Shirobeko! He turned a little when he heard the shoji shut behind them, and was further confounded when he noticed that where it had been, there was only a solid fence now!

"_I don't believe it_………." Aoshi's mind muttered, as he shook his head in mystification. He jumped when he heard what sounded like a triumphant roar, and unsheathed his twin kodachis when he saw that 'Raijuta' had Hiko in his grasp.

"_Seijuro!_" Aoshi's mind yelped, wanting to come to his aid, yet finding that he was unable to move.

"Don't worry. I'll exorcise the spirit." Suzuno reassured, telling him in no uncertain terms to stay put. Aoshi could only watch as the girl went into the fray.

……………………..

Hiko gasped as the possessed man grabbed the neck of his gi and hoisted him into the air. The battle had gone terribly wrong in the thirty minutes since Aoshi had gone to get the onmyoji, and now he could barely cling to consciousness. Above him, he was aware of the tense and very worried aura Kenshin was giving off. And it was only intensified when 'Raijuta' shook him violently to get his attention.

"You're not dead yet, are you? It would certainly be disappointing to have gone to all that trouble and have you die so easily!" 'Raijuta' sneered.

"As though…..you were actually doing this….on your own strength…..Iwano. You relied…..on guns…..before." Hiko whispered, coughing when he felt more blood pool in the back of his throat. He grimaced when 'Raijuta' again shook him; sending droplets of blood flying from his many wounds.

"I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born, Seijuro." 'Raijuta' growled, as he raised his arm and prepared to deliver the final blow. Valiantly, Hiko raised his head to watch; unafraid of the certain death that was before him. He vaguely heard when Kenshin shouted his name again, and silently wished for a better future for his apprentice.

"_All I can do now is keep fighting_……._It may kill me, but at least I can try to take Iwano down with me!_" Hiko thought, as he abruptly broke free, snatched up Winter Moon (that of which he'd dropped when the possessed man had grabbed him), and took up the battoujutsu stance.

"_Oh, no! He's going to_……" Kenshin's mind cried, then he shouted, "Shishou! Don't! Don't use it!"

"Feh, your deshi is annoying, Seijuro. I think I'm going to kill him next." 'Raijuta' said, when he'd regained his composure.

"Over my carcass, Iwano." Hiko snarled, his eyes practically glowing as he stood ready to deliver his final blow. The Hiten Mitserugi Ryu ougi. Time seemed to slow as the two men prepared for the final showdown, then launched themselves into it. At the exact moment when Hiko's sword neared 'Raijuta's' flesh, he flipped the blade around, and struck the other man with the back of his sword; at the same time, a woman's voice shouted, and a brilliant flash emanated from the back of the possessed man's head. Seconds later, all within the Shirobeko could see that the fight was over; Raijuta was face-down in the street, unconscious. Yet it was when they all turned their attention to Hiko that almost all of them paled and gasped in horror. The swordmaster was lying inert on his back on the ground; blood flowing freely from his wounds and soaking into the soil beneath him. His face was smeared with fresh blood as well, from cuts on his brow and from the corner of his mouth.

"Get him up here immediately!" Megumi shouted, coming to her senses first. With a numb nod, Aoshi bent and picked up the wounded man as carefully as he could, ever mindful of the pain the man would feel if he had remained conscious.

"_Just hang on, Seijuro. Let everyone here count on your strength for a little while longer._" Sanosuke thought, as he watched from the window, and as Kenshin resolutely walked from that room to the room Hiko had been using; determined to remain by his master's side till he either awoke……or death claimed him.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Long, anxious hours had passed since the battle between Hiko and 'Raijuta', as those within the Shirobeko waited outside of the room where Hiko had been carried. Kaoru had to tearfully hold Kenshin back as Megumi, and a few other doctors the strange girl Aoshi had called 'Sumeragi-san' had summoned for the crisis at hand, entered the room, then closed the door behind them.

"Shishou……" Kenshin had whispered, as soft sobs escaped from him, and as Kaoru held him in a gentle embrace.

"Sessha has never seen him so badly hurt, Kaoru-dono…..Sessha doesn't know if he has the strength to overcome this…." Kenshin murmured, letting Kaoru hold him close enough to hear her heartbeat.

"Have faith in him, Kenshin. He'll pull through….if you believe in his strength." Kaoru said, softly, as she stroked his fiery red hair; trying to soothe his grief in the only way she knew how.

"She's right, Kenshin. He didn't survive the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki for nothin' ya know. If anybody can survive this, it's Hiko." Sanosuke muttered, yet not without a slight look of worry and doubt in his own eyes, as he glanced at them from where he leaned, then looked at the still-closed door.

………………………

Within the room, Megumi sighed and brushed strands of sweaty dark hair from her eyes. The surgery was finally complete, but the patient in question looked no better than he had before. Bandages covered almost all of his abdomen and chest, both arms, and even his neck. His leg wounds had reopened, and had had to be stitched closed again. A crimson patch stained through the linen strips carefully wrapped above his brow, and smaller bandages dotted the corners of his mouth.

"_It's a miracle he's even still breathing, considering how bad these injuries are_……_He's in even worse shape now than Ken-san was a few days ago._" Megumi thought, jumping slightly when one of the other doctors placed a weary hand on her shoulder and gave her a grave smile.

"You did the best you could, Takani-san. We all did. All we can do now is hope that this man has the strength to live through what he has endured." The man said, softly. Megumi nodded.

"Hai. That's about all we can do now. I just wish I knew what to tell Ken-san that would be of any comfort to him." Megumi admitted, dejectedly.

"I'm afraid we can't help you there, Takani-san. All I can suggest is that you take it one step at a time." The man murmured, as he bowed, stood, and signaled the other doctors to do the same. Within moments, they were gone, and several anxious faces peered in; their questioning eyes searing into Megumi.

"He still lives…..but barely. He's lost so much blood, and is so badly hurt, that even I don't know if he'll make it. Gomenasai, Ken-san, minna." Megumi sobbed, as tears flowed freely down her face. To her shock and consternation, she felt a bandaged hand brush away the tears, and looked up to see Sanosuke looking down at her.

"You look tired, Kitsune-onna. Go get some sleep. I'll bet you haven't gotten much in the past couple of days." Sanosuke said, with surprising gentleness on his part.

"Sanosuke……." Megumi muttered, stunned by this change in the ruffian's behavior.

"He's right, Megumi-dono. Go get some rest. We'll watch over Shishou from here." Kenshin said, bravely; his amethyst eyes shimmering with stubbornly held back tears of his own. Megumi nodded slightly.

"But you must rest as well, Ken-san. I won't be able to rest if you become ill again." Megumi stated, as she allowed the former street fighter to guide her out of the room. Kenshin in turn nodded.

"Sessha will try, de gozaru……But it won't be easy." Kenshin murmured, as he gazed at the seriously wounded swordmaster, and silently wondered if the proud man would ever open his eyes again.

………………………..

Hours later, Kenshin found himself by his master's side, watching and waiting for any signs that the older man was going to live.

"_Shishou_…." Kenshin silently pleaded, trying everything he knew to get the man to wake up. But nothing was working. If anything, Hiko was sinking even further; drifting even farther away from life.

"His consciousness is submerged. He can sense in some small way that you're here, and thinks that he, as the Thirteenth master, should move on. I hate to say this, Himura-san, but he will not wake up while you are here. Your presence will only make him want to die." Suzuno said, softly as she quietly walked into the room and took a seat on Hiko's right hand side. Kenshin gave her a look that was a cross between hurt and angered.

"An apprentice's place is by his master's side, Suzuno-dono. Why are you saying differently?" Kenshin asked, his anger easily heard in his voice.

"Because Seijuro-san knows this as well. Deep in his mind, he knows that with your knowledge of the ougi, only one master should exist at a time. He has become convinced that it is his time to go, leaving you as the Fourteenth heir of the sword style he has handed down to you. Himura-san, I did not say what I did to hurt you; please believe me when I say that." Suzuno said, as she grasped one of Kenshin's hands in hers' and gave him a pleading look.

"Sure sounded that way to the rest of us, jou-chan." Sanosuke growled, from the doorway, as he and Kaoru glared at her, with Yahiko and the rest glaring into the room at Suzuno from behind them. Suzuno in turn gave them a sad look, then bowed deeply to them.

"Then please accept my humblest apologies for sounding so cruel. Gomenasai, minna-san." Suzuno whispered, then looked up at them again.

"I know of something that could be of some use in contacting Seijuro-san's consciousness, but it will be risky. Do you want me to try it?" Suzuno asked.

"What do you intend to do, Sumeragi-san?" Aoshi asked, ice-blue eyes narrowed in skepticism at the idea that Kenshin's very presence in the room was what was sending Hiko even deeper into his coma.

"A special, secrettechnique developed by the Sumeragi Clan for just such emergencies……It's extremely risky in the sense that I have to separate my consciousness from my body in order to go into Seijuro-san's heart and see why he refuses to wake up. While I am in there, he could refuse to let me in, and that wouldn't be good for me….." Suzuno said, then looked to Kenshin for approval.

"Do what you know is right, Suzuno-dono." Kenshin murmured, with some hope in his eyes as he said that.

"Do your best, Suzuno-chan! We'll be rootin' for ya right here!" Misao said, eagerly, as she and Yahiko gave the female onmyoji a 'thumb's up' to voice their approval.

"Good luck, and be careful." Kaoru added, as Suzuno smiled, nodded, then got right to work.

"_Here goes_….." Suzuno thought, then put her forehead to Hiko's and started chanting. Kenshin and the rest watched in tense silence as the onmyoji did what she was trained to do, and jumped when she let out a yelp of pain and shock and abruptly jerked away from the man.

"Suzuno-dono? Daijobu?" Kenshin asked, tensely. The girl nodded, then stubbornly placed her forehead to the older man's brow again; this time chanting something different under her breath.

"_Please, let this work. Please_………" Suzuno thought, as she called on some outside, otherworldly help; hoping against hope that this desperate ploy would work………

………………………..

"Hiko-sama! Hiko-sama!" a woman's voice shouted, echoing strangely in Hiko's mind before he became fully aware of whose voice it was.

"Natsu?" Hiko asked, uncertainty coming into his voice as he 'spoke' the name out loud. His wife had been dead and buried for almost two hundred years now! Why was he hearing her voice now?

"Am I dead? Did that final blow kill me?" Hiko wondered, then sighed and shook his head. He'd been alive for so long, that he no longer really cared about his own life….._A fact that was proving to be irksome for him, since he'd had to teach Kenshin to value his life in order to learn the Hiten Mitserugi Ryu ougi. _

"I'm what the Westerners must call a 'hypocrite'. I don't practice what I teach, since I have forgotten how." Hiko thought, growling softly as the words of his own master came back to haunt him.

"Don't take life for granted, deshi. Live it to the fullest, day by day, since you aren't really guaranteed tomorrow….._Especially in this day and age." The stern, yet strangely carefree, voice of Hiko Seijuro the Twelfth murmured, flowing past the Thirteenth master like a stream of water. _

"In some ways, Kenshin succeeded where I had failed. Using a sakabatou instead of a katana, he spared my life……._Sure, it still hurt like hell, but I survived the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. I only had broken bones to show for that, whereas you, Shishou, were cut in half by it." Hiko mused 'aloud', the guilt of so many years weighing heavily in his voice. _

"You needn't feel guilty about something you had no control over, deshi. After all, it is the way of masters and apprentices in the Mitserugi Ryu. You know this as well as I did." The familiar, airy voice said, as the owner of it appeared before him. Hiko took a step back in disbelief; there stood his own master, just as he remembered him. Long, dark, windblown black hair, tied back in a topknot, blew silently in the non-existent breeze, and long bangs framed a youthful face and almost mischievous sea-green eyes. His dark green gi, matching pants, knee-length boots and the armor over all that, showed clearly from under the familiar white mantle, as did Winter Moon. Even his tall, lithe frame was the same; no sign of the death-wound to be seen. Then Hiko's expression sobered.

"Then why did you take me on as your apprentice, if you knew it would cost you your life?" Hiko asked. His predecessor only shook his head and shrugged.

"I guess I had what the people across the sea call a 'death-wish'. In any event, I am proud to say that you did an exceptional job training your deshi. Even better than I had done with you. He'll make a truly great Fourteenth master." The other man said, his aqua-tinted eyes clearly showing the pride he felt for both his own apprentice, and the apprentice ofhis apprentice.

"He didn't take on the name or the mantle of the Mitserugi Ryu, though." Hiko muttered, giving his teacher a somewhat irritated glance when the latter chuckled.

"That is what sets him apart from us, and other previous masters, deshi. Young Kenshin's mantle isn't in the form we're familiar with, and he prefers the name you gave him over the title you still bear." The previous master explained, patiently. Hiko appeared to mull over this for a moment, then nodded and turned his attention again to his master.

"Shishou, why are you here like this? Are you here to take me from life? Is that your reason for being here?" Hiko asked. The Twelfth master shook his head.

"No, deshi, I have not come to collect you. I came at the behest of someone from your life now, and the ones you had loved so long ago. Even though they themselves do not have the strength to contact you like this, I do. Natsu-hime had strength enough to call out to you; to get your attention and nothing more. I offered to bring her along with me, but she refused. She knew that your desire to see her again would prove to be too strong, and that it would take you away from life, and those who still need you." The Twelfth master said, softly.

"But who still needs me, Shishou? Kenshin's training is complete, the threat to everyone's lives is gone, and Japan is safe. What is there to remain for?" Hiko asked, discouraged and dismayed by this.

"Your deshi still needs you. As do his friends. They all look to you for strength. Especially in this time, after so great a battle as the one that took place eleven short days ago. Believe me, deshi, there is no shortage of the lives you have directly or indirectly touched in the past ten years that would be irreparably changed if you died." The Twelfth master said, as he placed a hand on his former apprentice's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"I will consider it. But I don't know if even I have the strength to live on." Hiko murmured, getting a slight nod from the ghost of his master as a response.

"I suppose I have done all I could to try and convince you to keep fighting for life. It's up to you now, deshi. Don't disappoint me." The Twelfth master said, as he turned and walked away, vanishing into the mists of Hiko's subconscious almost instantly.

"I'll try not to, Shishou." Hiko thought, as he continued to stand where he'd found himself, his dark eyes contemplative as his thoughts now turned to the decision at hand; should he live, or die?

…..…..……. 

……………………….

Kaoru sighed as she replaced a damp rag onto the swordsman's brow. It was just barely after midnight, and nothing had changed with Hiko's condition. If anything, things had gotten worse; fever and chill were now settled firmly on him, making everyone within the restaurant's upper half worry themselves into sleeplessness.

"Kamiya, has his condition changed?" Aoshi asked, as he entered the room and sat down on the far side. Kaoru shook her head.

"Nothing has changed. He's still unconscious and his fever has risen slightly since a few hours ago. It almost feels like he's lost the will to live…." Kaoru trailed off, thinking of Kenshin's near-emotional breakdown after Suzuno had done all she could, and feeling a lump in her own throat as she thought of what Hiko's death would do to the gentle rurouni she'd come to love. She started when Aoshi silently closed the distance between them and ruffled her hair in an almost brotherly way.

"Do not worry. Seijuro is much tougher than that. He won't lose this fight." Aoshi said, with a certainty he most certainly did not feel in his voice. Kaoru sensed this, and only turned and gave Hiko a somber look. Yet, when she did, she almost cried out; Hiko's eyelids were moving!

"Hiko-san…….I think Hiko-san's trying to wake up….." Kaoru muttered, as she rushed to his side and looked down at him. Ever so slowly, the man's eyes opened; and yet, when his gaze met hers', Kaoru knew that he was not fully aware of where he was.

"Natsu……..is that you?" Hiko asked, his voice soft and weak. For a moment, Kaoru did not know what to say or think, then she shook herself out of her shock, and smiled gently at the wounded warrior.

"Hai." Kaoru said, sorry that she had to lie to Hiko like this.

"It is good to see you again. I didn't think you would come." Hiko said, quietly, as he gently brushed strands of hair out of her eyes; this act alone startling Kaoru, even though she did well not to show it.

"Well, I'm here now. And I'll be here through the night to watch over you." Kaoru stated, noticing when a familiar smile graced the swordmaster's face; a smile she'd only seen on Kenshin's face a few times before.

"That alone is enough for me. Arigato." Hiko whispered, as he drifted back into sleep, his hand drifting away from her face andsettling on his chest as he did so.

"That was odd……He didn't even detect my presence….." Aoshi murmured, careful not to raise his voice, lest he disturb Hiko's rest.

"And he didn't even recognize me…..Still, at least now he seems a bit stronger than he was before." Kaoru said, with some encouragement in her voice.

"True. Yet it remains to be seen how much strength he has gained from this. I will tell Himura that he woke up briefly, but I won't tell him what was said." Aoshi stated, as he slipped out of the room as quietly as he'd entered.

"_Arigato Aoshi-san._" Kaoru thought, as she settled in for the night; determined to keep her promise to the ill swordsman, in the very least.

…………………….

The sound of birdsong was the first thing Hiko became aware of when he next awoke. He could sense that the rain had stopped sometime earlier, and that the sun was finally out. Amidst the heavy aroma of food coming from downstairs and the herbs and medicines in the room, he could smell the scent of the fresh spring breeze outside. The smell of a world washed clean.

"I see you have decided to remain with us, Seijuro-san." A woman's voice chirped, as its owner moved into Hiko's line of sight.

"Who…are you?" Hiko asked, wincing slightly when his own voice scratched his throat.

"Sumeragi Suzuno is my name. I am the twelfth head of the Sumeragi Clan. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The woman said, politely; her emerald eyes sparkling with life and good-humor.

"It is good to meet you as well…….I believe I owe you my life." Hiko softlysaid, almost reluctantly. Suzuno laughed softly, and placed a soft hand on his face, brushing his bangs back away from his eyes as she did so.

"Think nothing of it. The only one who owes me anything is Shinomori-san…..Well, I'd better run. I'm expected at another assignment shortly, and I can't miss it. Get well soon, Seijuro-san!" Suzuno said, before dashing out the door and escaping the wrath of a very miffed Misao. Hiko smirked, then turned his head to look at the still sound-asleep Kaoru that now leaned against the wall beside him.

"_Amazing how she managed to sleep through that racket._" Hiko mused, grimacing as he slowly sat up, and bracing himself as he unfurled one of the unused blankets in the room and draped it over the girl. He held his breath when she stirred slightly, and relaxed when she settled back into slumber; sighing as she snuggled into the warmth of the blanket.

"_All of the people here have been worried about something or other during this rough time. And__I have been more than a burden to them. And yet_………." Hiko thought, then shook his head. Thinking about it only made his head hurt, he decided; as he settled back onto his futon with a sigh and drifted back into deep sleep almost immediately. Unbeknownst to either Hiko or Kaoru, Kenshin stood just outside the doorway, a relieved and knowing smile on his young face. His master had chosen to live after all.

Author's Note!

Almost there! This story is almost complete! Sorry about the long wait, minna, but writer's block was very, VERY merciless with this story. But it's almost complete! Yatta! Stay tuned for the epilogue! Ja ne!

Gemini14


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

Hiko flinched when Megumi cut away the last of the stitches, and he impulsively looked down at his currently shirtless chest to get a good look at the healed over wounds.

"_I look like someone had used the Kuzu Ryu Sen on me_…….." Hiko mused, taking a mental note on the fact that he could no longer tell which scars were which anymore.

"How do you feel, Hiko-san?" Megumi asked, after a few moments.

"Aside from sore and a bit stiff? Better than before." Hiko admitted, wincing slightly as he pulled on his gi, and stood up. Out of habit, he reached down to grab his mantle; but was stopped in mid-action by Megumi as she placed one of her own hands over it.

"Not yet. As it is, the flesh has closed and shouldn't break open again, but the muscles need time to heal as well. Too much too soon will only injure you further." Megumi explained, patiently, as the man before her gave her a look that was a cross between chagrined and vaguely annoyed. Then the expression vanished and he instead picked up his sword and walked out.

"He really didn't like hearing that, y'know." Sanosuke muttered, as he watched the Thirteenth master moodily make his way down the hall.

"I know. But I have his and Ken-san best interests at heart. I really don't want anything to happen to either of them, seeing how close they are to one another…….They may not be connected by blood, but they are as much a father and son as any I have seen." Megumi whispered, as soon as Hiko was out of earshot.

"Yeah. I see what you mean." Sanosuke murmured, as thoughts of his own relationship with Captain Sagara reemerged. He could see what Megumi had meant when she'd said 'father and son'; even though they seemed to annoy the heck out of one another, Hiko and Kenshin shared a bond that no other master and apprentice could possibly claim.

"_Of course, Hiko would be the last man on earth to admit that_…….." Sanosuke silently mused, smirking when Hiko greeted Misao and Kaoru by calling them their hated nicknames, and getting an outburst from the two that would have sent any lesser man scurrying.

"He certainly is incorrigible, though. When he does that, he seems to be asking for a death wish." Megumi muttered, her expression deadpanning as she said that.

"Yet you can tell he wants to live. Even though he does that to those two, he isn't physically fighting anyone….He is following your advice, Takani, even if it doesn't sound like it." Aoshi murmured, wincing when some of Misao's shouting reached his ears, and at some of the words she was using.

"Yeah…..But if he's lookin' for some good verbal sparring, he isn't gonna find it here." Sanosuke added, noting the almost bored expression on Hiko's face and pointing it out to the other two.

"True enough. If he's going to stay around here long enough for his wounds to heal completely, he's going to need someone intelligent to talk to during that time." Aoshi mused.

"What are you implying, Shinomori?" Megumi growled, vaguely insulted by Aoshi's reasoning, for some reason. Aoshi shrugged; an action almost completely alien to him, and gave her a bemused look.

"I guess you will have to find out, Takani." Aoshi replied, coolly, before walking silently off in the opposite direction.

"I think he's been hanging around Hiko-san too long." Megumi grumbled, irritably. Sanosuke only shook his head and snickered; he now knew who to count on in order to properly ruffle Megumi's feathers.

………………….

Kenshin sighed as he reclined on some pillows two girls from the Shirobeko had thoughtfully brought for him (much to Kaoru's chagrin), and looked up when he sensed his master enter the room.

"Enjoying yourself, Baka Deshi?" Hiko asked, nonchalantly.

"Not really. Sessha rather be outside enjoying the sunshine, than lying around in here, de gozaru." Kenshin muttered, looking now as bored as he sounded. Hiko reluctantly, yet silently, agreed with his apprentice; it was too nice of a day to be stuck inside. As Hiko slowly lowered himself to the floor, he became aware of the worry in Kenshin's gaze, and answered it with a look of true annoyance.

"Would you stop looking at me like that? I am past the point where everyone should worry about whether I am going to live or die, you know." Hiko muttered, irritably.

"Hai, Shishou." Kenshin replied, yet didn't sound too convinced. Hiko suppressed the urge to sigh in frustration; he knew that the memories of the past few weeks were too fresh in everyone's minds at this point, including that of his own brush with death. Nothing he knew of could stop that worrying now. For a few moments, silence reigned in the room, then Kenshin spoke up.

"Shishou?" Kenshin asked, as he looked up at his master.

"Hn?" Hiko responded, tiredly.

"Gomenasai, de gozaru." Kenshin said, guiltily. Hiko gave him what could only be described as a confused look.

"For what, Kenshin?" Hiko asked, forgetting for once to call his deshi by the nickname.

"For dragging you into this. And for putting you into so much danger. If sessha had known that this would happen, sessha would never have sought you out to complete his training. Please, accept sessha's most humble apology, Shishou." Kenshin murmured, his voice soft and sad. He jumped somewhat when he heard Hiko get up and cross the room, and looked up in startled shock when the swordmaster placed a callused hand on his head and ruffled the fiery hair almost affectionately.

"Baka. I would have gone into the fray, even if you hadn't asked me to. One only gets friends as good as the ones you have once in a lifetime…..And I couldn't let Shishio Makoto rob you of them." Hiko stated, then quietly added, "My ribs were a small price to pay, in order to see you become whole again."

"Shishou……" Kenshin murmured, not believing what he was hearing or seeing. For once, he was actually seeing the true form of his master; a man who had worn the mask of arrogance for even longer than he had been alive. The dark eyes were warmer, almost aglow with a warmth he'd certainly never seen before, and the tension on his face was gone. It was almost as though the swordmaster was looking at him with a father's love and pride……. Then the mask slipped back into place again, all too quickly, and Hiko withdrew to sit alongside him against the wall.

"Shishou." Kenshin said, after a few moments of silence.

"What is it now, Baka Deshi?" Hiko asked, his irritation now genuine.

"Arigato." Kenshin softly answered. Hiko arched an eyebrow, smirked, then leaned back against the wall.

"Feh. Anytime." Hiko muttered, as he reluctantly dozed off, and as Kenshin did the same a few minutes later.

……………………..

A little over a week later found Hiko back within his hut on the mountain. Even though he still moved slowly because of the pain in his chest and legs (and all his other wounds, in general), his pride prevented him from staying with the Oniwabanshu any longer. Still, even though he now had the solitude he'd wanted since he'd first been injured, he found himself almost missing the constant hustle and bustle of the Shirobeko and those within its' walls.

"_Hmph. Not as though I can't go for a visit every now and again_….._I'll just have to pick a day when the Itachi and those other two are out of town._" Hiko mused, rolling his eyes when he remembered how the other two female onmitsu had hung all over him after the battle against Fuji. Something told him that avoiding them would be next to impossible; but that wouldn't stop him from trying. With an exasperated sigh, he sat down in front of the fire pit, poured himself some sake, and settled in for the evening.

"_Shishou._" Kenshin's mental voice murmured, in the back of Hiko's mind. Hiko only smiled slightly and took a sip of his sake.

"Baka Deshi." Hiko replied, out loud. No good-byes were needed.

**__**

Owari


End file.
